As part of activities marking his 40th birthday, Adejumobi Oluwatosin Akinkunmi, also known as Tosin Bee, has unveiled two campaigns to end preventable deaths and also reduce the number of out-of-school children in rural areas. This gesture was made possible through his Benevolentia Aid Initiative, a non-profit organisation.
The Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Adejumobi Oluwatosin Akinkunmi, said the health campaign would involve free health checks for persons in rural and underprivileged areas, and free health drugs and some healthcare services. He disclosed further that the education campaign will include scholarships, distribution of school materials, and free community-based tutoring for children in areas that lack it.
Akinkunmi said: “Through health education campaigns and partnerships with local hospitals and doctors, we intend to ensure basic health services, reach those who cannot afford them. We will also hold periodic free health check-ups in communities that really lack it, with the hope of reducing preventable health issues and early deaths that can be easily prevented.”
He added that, “In the education sector, we simply want to close the gaps that exist between the haves and the have-nots in society by providing scholarships, school supplies, and community-based tutoring for children in areas that really lack them. We will continue to partner with secondary schools to ensure this is carried out.”
While stating the reason for choosing health and education as the focus of Benevolentia’s campaign, Akinkunmi said they believe that if these two issues can be resolved in people’s lives, they will be enabled to build themselves and their communities. “During this first edition, we chose to focus on education and healthcare access, addressing the gaps that exist in these sectors, in our little ways. We did this by visiting as many secondary schools as possible, speaking with them and encouraging the students about the importance of education, staying in school, and remaining focused, in spite of the current circumstances that may be less than ideal,” he said.
Akinkunmi, who noted that his interaction with the teachers and principals yielded fruitful results, said, “While at the school, we interacted with the teachers and principals and discussed ideas on future expansion and collaboration with them. In addition, since I am celebrating my birthday, we visited a hospital and chose a few families who had just delivered babies and supported them financially and with gift items. We intend to return to the hospital and continue collaborations with them related to health education for women and young families.”
He however, enjoined the government, private sector, and other well-meaning Nigerians to support them by creating the enabling environment for them to thrive. The mission of the organisation, according to the founder, is to help communities not just to survive but thrive with dignity, creativity, and hope. “Our vision is to harmonise humanitarian action with the transformative power of benevolence,” Akinkunmi said.
